


Race to the Finish

by icandrawamoth



Series: Return of the Rogues [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Banter, Competition, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Jokes, Light-Hearted, Rey & Rose Tico Friendship, Team, X-Wing(s), alcohol mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-22
Updated: 2019-09-22
Packaged: 2020-10-25 19:37:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20729663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icandrawamoth/pseuds/icandrawamoth
Summary: The new Rogues partake in a friendly competition during their downtime.





	Race to the Finish

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aphorisnt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aphorisnt/gifts).

“The rules of the competition are as follows,” Poe intones to the pilots assembled in the hangar. “Rose and Rey are engaged in a battle of mechanical aptitude. One engine from each of their X-wings has been disassembled and the components presented in an orderly manner along with the necessary tools for reassembly. Whoever completes the task and successful fires her engine first will be rewarded eternal bragging rights as well as the coveted secret prize, which is to be announced at the time of winning.”

A murmur goes through the crowd as the women eye each other over their respective displays of parts. This is a friendly competition, but a competition nonetheless.

“May the best woman win,” Poe concludes with a flourish. “On your mark. Get set. Go!”

Beside him, BB-8 squeals and shoots up a holographic stopwatch display, seconds racing by in translucent blue numerals.

The women lunge from their starting spots. Rey begins to assemble the outer casing of her engine while Rose goes straight for the more delicate wiring that will eventually connect hers to the fuselage.

All around come cheers from the rest of Rogue Squadron and the others who had heard news of the event spread surreptitiously through the Resistance grapevine. Only Poe and Finn haven't chosen sides – Poe acting as impartial MC and judge and Finn unable to elevate one friend over the other even for fun.

“Come on, Rose,” Karé calls encouragingly. “You'll need to be able to do this fast if you're ever shot down and need to escape before your enemy finds you.”

“I doubt my enemy will be kind enough to lay out my broken parts like this,” Rose mutters without looking up from her work.

“Then this should be extra easy,” Karé agrees sweetly.

“Make us pick out of a scrap heap next time.” Rey grins. “I'll take that challenge.”

“I'll bet Rey could assemble an entire X-wing from the dregs of a junk planet with her eyes closed,” Suralinda volunteers.

Rose just smirks as she drags a larger internal piece of her engine over and begins attaching it to her ship. The engines are starting to come together, but with each of the women working on different sections, it's hard to tell who might be winning the race.

Suddenly a voice, loud and cheerful, cuts across the din. “Did I miss an invitation to a party?”

The hangar goes utterly silent and still. BB-8 tweeps nervously but fails to stop the clock.

“Colonel Janson, sir,” Poe says, badly covering his surprise. “This is simply a...morale-boosting exercise.”

“Indeed.” Rogue Squadron's adviser and executive officer raises an eyebrow as he looks around. A moment later, though, his stern expression melts into a smile that looks far too young and innocent for his wrinkled face. “At ease, Commander, everyone. None of you are in trouble. If you think us old Rogues never got up to any mischief in our downtime, you're lying to yourself. No one here is injured. There haven't been any arrests. So I'd say it's all good, clean fun. Now get back to it, huh? I wanna know who's going to win.”

Rose and Rey exchange hesitant but game smiles. The mood is different with Janson here. The man has mentored Rose every stop of the way from tech to starfighter pilot and supervised Rey's transition to flying a real X-wing, calling her a prodigy. Neither of them want to disappoint him.

“The competition will resume,” Poe announces grandly, “with the addition of our esteemed guest!”

Janson indulges in a bow.

“Three,” Poe begins, “two, one, go! Again!”

The women scramble back to their tasks. Rey attaches half of the engine cowl to her ship and starts assembling the innards. Rose works on wiring in her most recently acquired component. The crowd watches breathlessly as the engines begin to take on their more familiar constructed forms, the race clearly a close one.

“Done!” the competitors cry at nearly the same moment.

“First to successfully fire their engine wins!” Poe reminds them.

Rey and Rose spin to dash for their cockpits. Rose's right ankle twists and dumps her to the floor with an _oof_. Rey is several strides away when she registers what's happened and turns back.

“Hey, are you all right?” she asks, coming back to Rose's side.

Rose makes a face as she gingerly tests her ankle. “Yeah. Just stepped on it wrong.” She looks up as Rey offers her a hand. “You could've won this race by now if you hadn't stopped.”

“True,” Rey agrees as she helps her up. “But we're a squadron. It's more important that we take care of each other. Plus, it's what you would have done.”

Rose grins. “Thanks. This isn't over yet, though.”

Rey agrees, but instead of racing off again, the two of them walk leisurely toward their cockpits and climb inside. Once settled, they look across at each other and exchange a thumbs up – then activate their engines at the same time. Both run flawlessly.

For a moment, the crowd is in surprised science at the unexpected outcome. Then come cheers and clapping. The ships are deactivated again, and the women climb back down to backslaps and congratulations from their fellow pilots. Janson nods at both of them in approval.

“Twenty-three minutes flat,” Rey repeats as BB-8 announces their time. “Not bad considering the interruptions.”

“It was a tie,” Rose says when they reach Poe. “That means we both win. What's the super-secret prize, Commander?”

“That's not how that works, actually,” Poe protests.

“Actually, it technically is,” Finn puts in, probably happier than any of them at this turn of events.

“Aw, don't be stingy, Poe,” Snap calls from the crowd. “Just give them the prize. They earned it.”

Murmurs of acknowledgment echo through the hangar.

“Well,” Poe says, suddenly sheepish. “That's the twist: there is no prize.”

“No prize?” Rose repeats.

“So you put us on display and raced us like a pair of fathiers for your amusement?” Rey clarifies.

“The real prize was the friend you made along the way?” Poe tries.

“Rose,” Rey says innocently, without taking her eyes off their CO, “now that we've had some practice putting ships back together, I think we need the opposite. What do you say we start with Commander Dameron's?”

“Sounds good to me.”

Poe pales and cuts his eyes to Janson as if seeking back-up to fight off the sudden mutiny.

The colonel fights a smile. “Using lies to motive you pilots is never a good idea, Commander.”

“_Fine_,” Poe relents, gaze back on Rey and Rose. “I'll buy you each your first drink at the next cantina.”

“Two drinks,” Rey haggles.

“Three,” Rose insists. “Final offer.”

“Done,” Poe agrees, “but I'm not carrying either of you out after that.”

Rey snorts and threads her arm through Rose's. “Please. Either of us could drink you under the table easy, flyboy.”

The entire assemblage bursts into raucous laughter at that, Colonel Janson's uncontrolled guffaws loudest among them.


End file.
